All the Lonely People: Collected Stories

“The final words in All the Lonely People, Barry Callaghan’s magisterial collected short fiction, are ‘once upon a time’.” This would at first appear an odd way to end a volume of close to 500 pages, one that comprises a career-spanning overview of the author’s work in this particular genre. But the invocation of an old-world fairy-tale formula tilts in the direction of memory and the past, which is appropriate for the current volume in general and the specific concerns contained in many individual stories.” —Toronto Star

“Callaghan writes with a powerful verve, a seeming abandon and heedlessness which upon closer examination reveals itself to be the result of careful, subtle, and unobtrusive skill and care.” —Quill & Quire

“If All the Lonely People highlights Callaghan’s skill at inhabiting the voices of a broad spectrum of humanity, Raise You on the River highlights Callaghan’s own inimitable voice and character. A collection of essays, travel pieces, interviews, and remembrances, Raise You on the River is another 500-page tome; while some of the entries sprawl, they never fail – individually and collectively – to hold the reader’s attention.” —Quill & Quire